Road rules: Bicycles vs. cars

You know the scene: You're driving down Route 28 and someone is biking along the right-hand shoulder — toward you, riding against the flow of traffic.

SEAN GONSALVES

EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this column contained incorrect information about when the Pan-Mass Challenge will be held. The error has been corrected in this version.

You know the scene: You're driving down Route 28 and someone is biking along the right-hand shoulder — toward you, riding against the flow of traffic.

Illegal!

Or, like I saw yesterday afternoon in Hyannis, a young fella pedals down Main Street — against traffic on the sidewalk!

Double-illegal!

There's the flip side, of course. Car door suddenly opens. Cyclist careens into door and catapults into the air before splatting down on the pavement. Oh, it's funny in the movies or on YouTube but not when you're the one with road rash, thanks to Mr. I-Live-In-This-World-By-Myself.

Illegal and inconsiderate!

With the annual Pan-Mass Challenge set to wheel on the Cape the weekend of Aug. 7 and 8, now's a good time to kick the tires on the whole road-sharing rules thing.

In fact, the Registry of Motor Vehicles recently updated its driver's manual as it relates to bicycle safety and road use. And get this: Beginning Jan. 1, police officers can start handing out tickets to bike-riding scofflaws and motorists who endanger cyclists. (See pages 76 and 103).

Funny thing is, someone forgot to tell law enforcement. I checked in with cop shops across the Cape and found that Wayne Lamson, executive director of the Massachusetts Police Chiefs Association, speaks for a lot of police officers when he says, "We haven't been informed of any curriculum for bicycle safety, nor have we been advised on any training programs."

As far as Lamson is concerned, this is just another training mandate for law enforcement without the funds to back it up.

Right now, he said, the state appropriates a measly $3.4 million annually to train 17,000 police officers. "And they keep coming out with these new training programs."

But give Provincetown police Sgt. Carrie Lopes credit. She's all over this, although she did tell me her department just spent the last of their state grant money to focus on pedestrian safety, not bike traffic.

Interesting to note that P'town may be the only place in the state that has a home rule exemption to make it legal for cyclists to ride against the flow of traffic — on Commercial Street only.

Still, Lopes agreed with Lamson's assessment of the gap between safety and training mandates and money and manpower, as did Falmouth Police Chief Anthony Riello.

In other words, bike-related traffic tickets will be about as likely as a fish riding a unicycle — at least, for the foreseeable future. The good news is: regional traffic planners have made it a priority to make the Cape more bike-friendly and safer for cyclists.

That's a good thing because, first of all, most of us could use the exercise, especially the whippersnappers. (Step away from the game system, cell phone and computer and GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY!)

And, second, the Cape is a great place to ride a bike, as far as the scenery goes.

The Year of the Bike theme is also good for the environment. But, let's be honest: we're a long way from having the kind of bike culture you hear about in Europe and Asia. And even over there, they've still got a bazillion gas-guzzling, carbon-spewing cars on the road.

So, until they finish building one long bike trail from the canal to Provincetown, get used to the phrase "share the road."

And if bike riding is your thing, I'd take Chief Riello's advice:

"The problem on the Cape is that the roads are so narrow. It's incumbent on the bicyclist to really pay attention. Never mind a ticket, it's about staying alive."

P.S. A good source on cycling safety is www.massbike.org.

Sean Gonsalves' column runs on Sundays and Wednesdays. Comment on this column or read past columns at www.capecodonline.com/gonsalves. Sean can be reached at sgonsalves@capecodonline.com

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